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Where in the World?Jamaica
The main objective of the project at the University of the West Indies was to monitor and assess climate control issues, primarily the temperature and relative humidity settings, which are relevant to Cornell’s Ford Foundation project on climate control and hermetic sealing for the conservation of master microfilm negatives. In October, Hurricane Ivan devastated the collections of the University of the West Indies, wetting more than 40,000 books, and I was asked to help organize the recovery of the collection, which I did in a one-week visit in October. At that time, 151 boxes of books were placed in an industrial freezer, and one of my new assignments was to check the books and make arrangements for their gradual return to the library shelves. While I was at the University of the West Indies, I devoted a great deal of time to working in the university bindery, training staff on new techniques and redesigning workflow to make the staff more productive. At some point in the future, when production has stabilized, more-advanced training will be needed for the eleven bindery staff. I also took part in a special three-day workshop on disaster concerns, giving three papers and conducting a practical hands-on recovery exercise. I also visited the National Archives and made some suggestions on conservation techniques as well as arranged an internship program at the university library for the Alpha Boys Home, an orphanage and work-study facility.—John Dean Thailand
During the first week of March, Anne R. Kenney, Barbara Eden, and Carla DeMello traveled to Thailand to conduct workshops on access and preservation. The first, at Thammasat University Library in Bangkok, was Enhancing Access to Preserved Microforms through Digital Resources. The subject was of current interest to the attendees, who were staff from various libraries in Bangkok.
—Barbara Berger Eden Vietnam One way to get to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) from Ithaca is to fly to Newark from Syracuse, then to Seattle, Tapei, and finally to HCMC. It is a very long trip. That is how Yen Bui, the CTS Vietnamese cataloger, and I traveled to Vietnam toward the end of February. While folks in Ithaca were freezing, we were dealing with temperatures in the mid-90s and humidity that was also in the range of 90 percent. We went to Vietnam to meet with library staff from the General Sciences Library in HCMC and Vietnam National University (VNU) in Hanoi. I presented workshops in both cities on resource sharing and library management. While I was talking, Yen spent her time working with catalogers at both libraries. I was very moved to be in Vietnam, a place that was closed to Americans for a long time. The people were welcoming, and it was a special treat to be among colleagues who work in libraries. Some of you will remember Nguyen Thi Bac, who is the director of the General Sciences Library, which is a public library. Bac spent six months at CUL as an international preservation and conservation intern. At the library, services for the blind are exceptional, including a computer area where patrons can listen in English and Vietnamese and a recording studio. In Hanoi the weather was much more comfortable. Mr. Nguyen Huy Chuong, the director of the Library and Information Center at VNU, is president of the Northern Academic Library Association, the group I addressed. I was honored to have the Cultural Attaché from the U.S. Embassy drop by for part of the workshop. The library staff was very attentive to the workshop, particularly wanting to identify ways to provide computer support.
Another Cornell international intern from Vietnam, Le Hai, accompanied Yen and me on our travels. Hai, who spent time at Cornell in 1990, is an excellent photographer and did a wonderful job of documenting our trip. A few quick impressions: libraries and librarians have the same goals as in the U.S., but the libraries in Vietnam lack current materials. There is very little money to pay for electronic access or for print materials. Many people who work in libraries hold two jobs to make ends meet. Just as most families in the U.S. have one car for each adult, in Vietnam families have one motorcycle for each adult. This makes for an interesting street scene. The people are friendly, smiling, and kind. English has been taught for only a few years in the schools, but most merchants have enough to get by. It was an exhilarating trip and a tiring one. I was very happy to meet so many Vietnamese librarians and to be able to talk with them about professional matters. The return flights were long, too. While Yen and I were away, quite a bit of snow had fallen in Ithaca. It was good to be home, but I am very glad I took the time to do the workshops in Vietnam. —Jean Poland
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We then had the good fortune to travel to Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand,
and spoke at Chiang Mai University Library on the same topic. This workshop
was well attended also and was translated by Dr. Rujaya Abakhorn (a Cornell
alumnus, retired Chaing Mai University librarian, and former student of David
Wyatt). Being in Chiang Mai was very gratifying, since CUL has had a number
of interns from Chiang Mai University, with whom we were able to spend time.
If you want to experience one of the loveliest areas in Thailand, Chiang Mai
is the place to visit.
